a peanut piggy pair

To celebrate her first bloggy birthday, Stitchy Britt is giving away these adorable peanut-shaped squishy pigs. All handmade, including that little scarf and crocheted basket. Adorable. Pop over there and oink her- post a comment or visit her facebook page, and help celebrate her blog birthday! Yay!

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Be quick, entries close Saturday night! (Her blog is swell too- less peanut-shaped, but just swell.)

my creative space- Penny!

Results are in from the name poll to name my new sewing machine, 56% voted for the name Penny, so Penny she is! (Alice came second at 35%, and Jane last). Thanks everyone who voted!

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Other things I've been doing in my creative space
- sorting fabric by colour and size into lovely new plastic tubs and stacking them up high

- freaking out when the now-named Penny flashed and blew smoke (she's better now. phew)

- madly calling repair centres

- staring out the window instead of sewing. watching dog walkers and cranky birds.

- being unsure of what to do first. watching movies instead

- writing lists. crossing out lists. merging lists and then rewriting lists neater

- spending time shopping instead of sewing. finding old patterns and materials and possibilities

- spilling tea on everything and swearing

- cutting out sweaters for cushions

- planning a giant giraffe. Giant. Giraffe. you heard me.

- feeling a little bad for not sewing much. going to the pub instead

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VERY productive, as you can tell.. (*cough*) But now that Penny is named, we can chat and sew all week long. Uh-huh.

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more creative spaces here

Hide and Seek Market

My stall last weekend at the Hide and Seek market, and the market mascot that I made! My mum and a friend were there to help out, and we have never seen quite-so-many pregnant women in one place. I suppose if you’re starting to get clucky, making baby and kids toys and being surrounded by babies and pregnant women may not help. Hrrmm. I think I need to visit my niece and get my fix vicariously.

I bought a beautiful ring, and a doll (see more here), and a dozen cupcakes with flavours like Caramello, black forest, lemon curd and almond and berry. Yummo. (I'm eating one in the photo there.. That's what that bemused look is.)

You can see more about the markets here.

flea market finds

Oops a little (quite a lot, actually) late but better late than never! Here are some vintage-y things I have found this week and last week in my op-shop explorations. I am starting to visit op-shops quite a lot (even more than before!) in my quest for recycled fabrics (some nice op-shops even let me trawl through their gonna-throw-out pile for goodies! Which is what I prefer, I’d rather use stuff that would otherwise be landfill than stuff that is just second-hand. I want to eventually be using only recycled materials, but I digress). During these missions I -of course- end up looking at everything else in the store, and finding cute little vintage-y things like this that I just have to get.

So I’m going to start a section in my etsy store for ‘vintage-y goodness’. This means that I can still search for vintage goodness, and I still get to collect them, but they can be in constant rotation and be released back into the wild! Remember the gold deer? And those salt and pepper shakers? They’ll be in there too. Open soon!

DIY photography light box

After all my light-for-photography woes, the Boy built me a light box! He used this tutorial.
Gathering materials; cardboard box, poster board (or in my case, the back of an Ikea Billy bookcase), scissors, tape, measuring tape, baking paper.




Cutting windows in the sides, which were then covered in baking paper, and the poster board cut to size and slid in.

Taa daaa! We lined up lamps to shine in and took some test shots. I need to change the wattage of my bulbs to a) be brighter and b) all have the same brightness, but overall it's a definite improvement, and sure beats waiting for the sun!

I'm looking forward to posting my Flea Market Finds with the help of my handy-dandy new lightbox tomorrow. Yay!

in stores now!

Pepper Stitches can now be found in some ace stores in Sydney, which is very very exciting! I've added a 'stockists' tab on the top there!

My Messy Room is a darling store in Summer Hill, full of gorgeous kids toys, books and decor. If you can't make it (or just like a good-old browse), the good news is that most of the gorgeousness is available online (including my cloud mobile! Eeek!). Stav is the owner (and super-ace she is, too) you can get to know her and more about My Messy Room on her blog, My Messy Room Journal.

Pulp Life is lifestyle store offshoot if the amazing Pulp Creative. It's a beautiful store full of beautiful things, just look! And my antler boys are now among them! The store is like a lovely loungeroom, or you can buy selected products online too. Plus it's next to the beach. I feel a business trip coming up.

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A big thank you to Bec, Stav, Nicky and Tracey for liking my stuff and having faith that other people will like it too! Next stop, Pepper Stitches WORLD DOMINATION (in a friendly, cuddly sort of way of course. With tea.)

magazine love

I DO like a good magazine. So pretty. So interesting. So informative. Not the ones that you get at the Doctors office, or supermarket queue. Not the ones that make me worry about my figure or the shade of my eyeshadow or trap me with tantalising bits about so-and-so's love triangle or baby adoption. But the ones that make me smiley, uplifted, inspired and a bit-more-knowledgeable about interesting-y things. Here are some I like very much.

Amelia's Magazine

(art, fashion, music, earth)

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Frankie

(fashion, art/craft, music, creative people)

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Antler Magazine

(art, design, literature and culture)

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Peppermint

(indie art and design)

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Condiment

(food, creativity and community)
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A cloth-covered button

(fashion, art, writing, design culture)

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dumbo feather pass it on

(creative interviews & autobiographies)

. Postmodern Ink

(tattoos, art, culture, lifestyle)

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MixTape

(art/craft, eco-awareness and pop culture kitsch)

. Slow

(for those who think life's too fast)
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Cosmos

(the science of everything)

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Organic Gardener Magazine

(um, organic gardening.)
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And on my list of magazines I will probably never read..

Government News, Planet Muscle, Great Walks, British Chess Magazine, Playstation Official Magazine, Your Trading Edge, Helicopter News, The Classic Motorcycle, The Death Mook (although this one looks fascinating), Practical Fishkeeping, Poker Player, OK! Magazine

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But I will browse and think about them- isn't it fascinating the number of interests in the world? People are interested in all kinds of things, and I find that interesting, don't you?

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Do you have any favourite magazines?

my creative space- name my sewing machine!

I feel a bit like I've fallen off the face of the blogging-world, but I am still here! You see last week my new sewing machine spluttered, coughed, and died. Died I tell you! Needless to say there was a fair bit of swearing going on 'round these parts, as I juggled warranty cards and sewing machine repair centres, hire prices and wondered how on earth I was going to make do. (If you ever need to hire a sewing machine in Sydney, I recommend this place). Enter stage right my Mum. She decided to chip in and then holy dooley look what arrived on Monday!

An industrial sewing machine! Isn't she lovely? Thanks Mum! She is quiet and friendly and not-as-intimidating as I feared. Lucky for me she has a speed dial, so I can work my way up to the racing-car speeds she is capable of. She cuts thread automatically, and has a knee lever for lifting up her foot, and keeps her need down for turning corners, and has a very nice faux-wood table. I like her very very much. (It is a little scary though, it suddenly feels much more serious with a machine like this behind me! Not a hobby anymore!)

Of course any self-respecting machinery needs a name, so I can talk to her nicely, but I need you help. Do you think: Jane, Penny or Alice? Please vote in the poll on the side bar there! I'll let you know the name with the most votes next week, and that is what she shall be called!

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Of course to accommodate her wonderfulness, I had to rearrange my studio, again.

(Digital prints arrived today from snapfish, sign up and you get your first 50 (!) prints free, and they're like 15c after that. Bargain)

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(On the way home from celebratory baklava I came across these ikea baskets perfect for storing fabric waiting to be stitched, and that wooden shelf perfect for holding giant threads! Awesome! I love free curbside stuff!)
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(I now have 3 domestic sewing machines, and none of them work properly, but can be coaxed to do a few stitches here and there. Little Miss I'm-4-weeks-old-and-I'll-break is in the repair shop.)

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(yes that's a bike wheel under the table. I don't know, it just looked like it might be useful for something.)

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(My main desk with my leather jacket 'cause I'm tough. And tapestry roses cushion that I found at Salvos. See the box sticking in to the bottom left of the corner? Six now has her own fur-lined drawer, which keeps her happy and off my work surface, which makes me happy.)

My loft bed is in there too, but it's messy and heaped with cushion inserts and curtain fabric and underneath tubs are overflowing with fabric piles and scraps. Not-so-pretty. It makes me dream of ikea storage solutions. Looking at these photos makes me wonder if I've got a little-too-much stuff on my walls too.

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Thanks for making it all the way to the end of this extra-long post! And don't forget to vote for your favourite sewing machine name on the side bar there!

my creative space

Ah another Thursday, another creative space!

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This week I've been working on antlers. The same ones. Three times. First they were too small and looked a bit funny. So I made them bigger, but they were too floppy, and antlers should not be too floppy. In the interests of child-suitability, wire was out, along with hard plastic. I perservered, and by fusing four layers of felt together then blanket stitching around them, I have antlers that are still soft but stay upright! Woho!

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So yay for antlers I'm happy with, this deer has a green body from a recycled pair of woollen flares and some more japanese print.

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Something else driving me nuts this week is taking good product photos. The light has to be just so, and it's been raining and cloudy and generally wintery here in Sydney, so they are dark and dim and I'm.just.not.happy. Does anyone have any tips for this?
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Hope your creative week has been a little less frustrating!

See more creative spaces here.

Pepper Stitches on Blue Caravan

Yay! Pepper Stitches can now be found on Blue Caravan, an ethical design market that supports independent design and promotes direct trade and loves fairtrade and sweat-free certification.

They believe that ‘ethical’ is no longer a choice separated from style and design and have so many beautifully designed goodies that you can't help but agree! Based in Australia, everything is in Australian dollars, and I like that you can search by category (like stationary, home & body, ceramics or for little people) but also for organic products, handmade, upcycled, eco-sustainable and fair trade.

Alice Dress by Rummage Style
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A Love Story pendant by honeybee

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Fabric Covered Journal - Rooftops by rabbit & the duck
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Here are some of my favourite things.. Now, must go sew more so I can buy them without guilt (one of the new rules I've had to make for myself, spending time in all these beautiful markets; must not buy lovely things faster than I post my own listings!)

watercolour- Amy Ross

Fairy Ring

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Woodpeckershrooms

.. Duck Magnolia
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I do love these watercolour prints by Amy Ross, combining plants and animals in beautiful and unexpected ways, and humans and animals, and all kinds of whimsical notions. I also like the branches, they make me think of woodlands and crunchy leaves underfoot.

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Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, artist Amy Ross is interested in the idea of artist as mad scientist. She creates paintings, drawings, and collages that turn the natural world on its head, morphing flora and fauna together.

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Some prints are available in the Keep Calm Gallery, and you can see so many more in her portfolio here, including some amazing series.

my week in pictures

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On a day off, woke up to strawberries, perfectly poached eggs, watercress salad, goats cheese wrapped in bacon and buttered sourdough. *sigh* The Boy can cook.

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Finally made some roses bunting inspired by these. It hangs above my bed, matches the roses on the cornices, and makes me smile and think of my sisters.

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Best.Duck.Noodle.Soup. Ever. Followed up by popcorn at the cinema watching Toy Story 3. It's good, I laughed so much, Oh Ken! (and cried a little at the exhorbant ticket prices for 3D. Basteerds.)

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A friends birthday cued drinking and mixing. By him and the Boy, not me.

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I mostly choose wine from the prettiness of the label. (Come on, I know I'm not the only one). This wine had an awesome letter-press picture, and a funny name, and was really really tasty. Winner.

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My housemate playing guitar. She is super-ace and makes me laugh.

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This is my new favourite drink. Swedish Cider. Refreshing and lovely, like drinking dessert and more pretty labels too! (realising this post makes me look like I spent all week drinking. I didn't.)

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I also went to a small business expo (much more interesting and informative than I hoped!), posted custom orders, and read 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen. Which is now making me want to watch BBC period dramas and sigh.

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I hope your week was lovely too!

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